A year ago there was a last minute switch... The

competition had to: be moved to Silver Star -

Mountain, near Vernon, where there was snow.

On Grouse Mountain,
where it was originally
scheduled, a pair of skis
would have been good for
. little else than kicking up a
dust storm outside the
chalet.

Snow? ' There was more
snow in Palm Springs: The
handiest ski mountain to a
large metropolis anywhere i in
the world was just a large
brown’ lump. With the
freezing level stuck
overhead at 5,000 feet, only
two things fell: rain and
Grouse Mountain Resorts’
cash reserves.

But 1978-79 is another
winter. More than 200
centimetres (about 80 inches
to you’ unreconstructed
defenders” of Imperial
weights and measures) of
white stuff blankets the
mountain.

More than enough to stage
the final event of the World’

Cup: Freestyle Ski Cham-
pionships, March 30 through
April 1, for $25,000 in prize
money, provided ‘by. the
friendly brewmeister,
Labatt's.

DOWN TO NINE

This climaxes what was to
have been a 12-stop tour, but
because of snow problems in

Europe, where all the top
free-stylers are competing at
the moment,
trimmed back to nine.
Nonetheless, by the time the
tour winds up at St- Moritz-
above-the-Inlet, about

_ $130,000 in prize monéy will

have been distributed.

When .you consider that
freestyle. skiing, as an
organized sports com-
petition, is only six years old,
that’s progress. When you
consider that the women

also have their circuit and.

compete for the same kind
of money, that’s equal
opportunity.

You won't be seeing the
women on Grouse this year,
but you will see the top 60
male freestyle skiers in the
world competing in the

_sport’s three’ disciplines:
moguls, ballet and aerials.

A North. American
phenomenon until two years

’ ago, freestyling suddenly has

caught on in Europe, as well.
This year’s tour includes
stops in France, Austria,
Switzerland, Germany and
Italy. .

THE BEST
Right now Canadians are

the best in the business. John
Eaves of Montreal is

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Just visit our store and you will be amazed with
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shooting for his third straight --++ -~
championship. .
‘Greg Athans, originally from

' Kelowna -

combined

and now of
Vancouver, placed second
to Eaves two years ago; was
the moguls and ballet winner
in 1978. The brothers Darryl
and Rick Bowie ‘from
Calgary usually place in the

top. half. dozen. And last

year’s winner -at Silver Star
was Keith Reid of North
Vancouver.

Athans has authored a
book~-Ski Free—on the

sport. In it he gives a clue as. -

to why it has taken off and

flown so far from nowhere at -

the start of the ‘70s: it gives
the_ good skier something
different to do; it permits

him to use his imagination to

produce extra excitement.

If he is a competent ski
racer who also is good at
diving and gymnastics, he
has the potential to be a
champion.

Aerial competition
equates with diving from the
10-meéetre tower. Somer-

4

Photo) |

saults, .

“twists, layouts—the
whole diving routine. Except
for one thing. He can’t land
head first. bad for the neck.

Ballet gets its inspiration
from figure skating. Many of
the moves are the same and
so is the music. The
relatively recent develop-
ment of short skis made this
competition possible.

SEA OF BUMPS
The 1,000-foot long
downhill ‘run. known as

moguls is named for the sea
of bumps—some of them

five and six feet high—that _

dot the course. Where the
course is wide enough, as it
shouldbe on Grouse, the
skiers go down’ side by side,

Jim’s quite a sports buff. He's active in swimming,
cross-country skiing, hiking and camping.

He's been a News Carrier for almost five years and
currently delivers both Wednesday and Sunday issues
in the area around Highland Boulevard and Beacan-

sfield. Jim is
worth School in grade 9.

Both of Jim's Zone Managers,

14-years-old and attends Hands-

Hilary Pena and

Claire Cannon, tell us that he does such a good job
that they never receive complaints trom any of the

people on his route

t
We appreciate your good work, Jim. and so do our

readers and advertisers.

You'll be getting Famous

Players Gift Certificates in the mail

Circulation 986-1337
1139 Lonadalo Ave.,
North Vancouver

Dc erealh dara rau Kacoutdhcrvacsenddaola Tear vtatarchdibchnvstnarndan tates’

north shore

news

PREPARING FOR ACTION, firemen practice for ihe big provincial: firemen's
bonspiel set for the’ North Shore Winter Club from February 12-15. ‘More than. 300
firemen 4 are expected to take part in the . 21st Annual Event. (Ellsworth Dickson -

_ Page 15, February 4,.1979 - Sunday News

‘fot necessarily win. For
much of the route the
competitors are airborne.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 17

racing each other as well as
the stop watch.

But first one to the finish
line, or the best time, does

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